BY SAMUEL DIXON

Details

Two Irish George II embossed bird pictures, circa 1750
By Samuel Dixon
One depicting 'The red legg'd Partridge from Barbary' in a landscape and with butterflies and other insects, the other depicting 'The Black and White Chinese Cock Pheasant and its hen' perched on a branch in a landscape and with insects, the landscape coloured with ground glass, each within mahogany and parcel-gilt moulded frames, the reverse pasted with typed details of provenance, the butterflies, moths and ground glass later
13¾ x 11¾in. (35 x 30 cm.) (2)

Provenance

Kronendal, Sotheby's Cape Town house sale, 1 August 1983, lot 342. Whytock & Reid, Edinburgh, February 1984.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis. This lot, if not cleared by 1pm on the next business day following the sale will be removed to the warehouse of: Cadogan Tate Ltd., Fine Art Services Cadogan House, 2 Relay Road, London W12 7SJ. Tel: 44(0)20 8735 3700. Fax: 44(0)20 8735 3701. Lots will be available for collection following transfer to Cadogan Tate, every week-day from 9am to 5pm. An initial transfer and administration charge of £3.20 (Paintings) or £18.50 (Furniture/Objects) and a storage charge of £1.60 (Paintings) or £ 3.20 (Furniture/Objects) per lot per day will be payable to Cadogan Tate. These charges are subject to VAT and an insurance surcharge. Exceptionally large pictures will be subject to a surcharge.

Lot Essay

These embossed painted bird pictures were executed by the Dublin artist, Samuel Dixon (d. 1769) in 1750. They formed part of his 'Small Foreign Birds' set, derived from the first four volumes of George Edwards' Natural History of Uncommon Birds, published between 1743-1751. The Small Foreign Bird set was produced in sets of twelve, each with an identifying label on the reverse. The 'red-legg'd Partridge from Barbary' was number X and 'The Black and White Chinese Cock Pheasant and its hen' was number VII.
A set of nine bird pictures from Dixon's Small Foreign Bird Set was sold by order of the Executors of the 16th Earl of Dalhousie, K.T., Chritie's Great Rooms, 6 July 2000, lot 5 (£97,250).
We are grateful to Robert Beardsley, Esq. for his help in preparing this catalogue entry.

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